You Can Be an Autodidact
posted by schoolishard on 6/8/2009 1:15:36 PM
Today's guest blogger shares thoughts on self-teaching.
I hate learning in a classroom setting. Every meaningful thing I have actually learned since multiplication has been self-taught. From musical instruments to French, the time that I have spent learning outside of the classroom has always been more efficient, engaging, and relevant. Schools simply approach education in a way that does not resonate with me or real life.
John Holt put it best when he said, "Since we can't know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned."
Few schools and colleges understand this, and that is why I embrace autodidactic learning, or the teaching of oneself. With autodidactic learning, your job is to learn what you need to learn, then determine which method and materials would facilitate that learning the most. You are your own authority.
In the past, autodidactic learning was often a product of necessity. Today, with the modern education system, this style of learning may seem archaic and unnecessary, but it is not. College education is simply not enough. Sure, you can take advantage of new connections and the few things you remember from your senior year, but ultimately, though a piece of paper may open a few doors, it is your ability to learn that which will have others holding the doors for you. This glaring fact makes becoming proficient in teaching yourself whatever it is that you need to know that much more imperative.
Modern society, for whatever reason, seems to believe that people cannot learn as well outside of a classroom. This is bizarre since we live in the most accessible period in history for self-directed instruction materials. This accessibility is extended to nearly everyone willing to take advantage of it.
If you have an internet connection, you can teach yourself almost anything. Websites such as How Stuff Works and Expert Village could keep you occupied with nothing but learning for years. If you are interested in almost any book out of copyright, Google Books is trying to index and make available every book ever published!
Tried and true methods such as the local public or university library are amazing options, as well. Modern libraries are usually connected with dozens of other local libraries. In both my hometown and college town, all it takes is a simple request and the book I want will be shipped to my local branch free of charge.
What about new books? Go to local bookstores. Some of you may have enough money to buy the latest books, but I do not. This means that whenever I take a notion to acquire some knowledge on a current topic, you can find me at Books-a-Million or Barnes & Noble sampling whatever it is which interests me. (My current interest is small business - I am learning much more than I would have in a de rigueur accounting class!)
One point I should emphasize is that autodidacts will still benefit from tutors or a mentor. (This strays a bit from what classifies a NATURAL autodidact, but natural autodidacts simply do not have teachers at their disposal. It would be ignorant to eschew an available resource which would inure to your benefit.) The only catch is you have to find instructors that will teach you only what YOU want to learn. There is no sense in wasting time. I am new to the Cramster community, but it looks to me like there are plenty of people here willing to help you with what you are learning.
The more you think about all of this, the more school may seem obsolete; however, it is a safe bet that you'll need that degree someday. The best way to make it through the drudgery of general curriculum, pointless lectures, and bureaucracy is to realize that college is nothing more than a framework which allows you to practice adult life and make new friends and connections. Within this framework, with your due diligence, your goal is to acquire the most important knowledge of all - learning how you learn.
Patrick Sizemore is a part-time college student and life-long learner. Unless the recession ends soon, he will begin his Master of Arts in Education next spring. He currently splashes ink around at SchoolisHard whenever he takes a notion.